There’s no place like home — where function and beauty meet personality

Home — that safe, comfortable, and restful place where we live. No wonder it is such a special place for so many! Why is a home so important to us? Our home is a reflection of our individuality. For many, including me, it has taken on an especially significant meaning during the pandemic. Families are spending more time than ever at home, enjoying, or trying to create, functional and beautiful spaces.

When I think of home, I’m often reminded of my late grandparents’ house. At just over 1,000 square feet, this 1950’s ranch home in the Chicago suburbs was filled with character and finished with modesty. Picture: oak floors and hemlock trim, a small original kitchen, textured fabrics and a simple backyard off the alley. As soon as I walked in the door, I felt like I was home. My grandparents didn’t have deep pockets; however, their furniture was built to last, highly functional and scaled to the home size. They purchased quality pieces, much of it in solid maple and mahogany, that reflected their style; in my eyes, it was beautiful.

Livable, practical, beautiful through time and changes
Designing houses has been my personal and professional passion for years. My biggest challenge as a designer is making spaces livable, practical, and beautiful. One should not preclude the other — excellent design achieves all three in harmony. It should also improve inhabitants’ quality of life at every stage, from infancy through the senior years. I strive to help people create a home that reflects the person or people who live there.

A well-designed home adapts to both current and future stages of life. This allows residents to live in their home for as long as they want. As my grandparents aged, functional elements were added, including grab bars and a ramp to the front door. Room thresholds and furniture placement were modified. Safety is key to a home that functions well. A house that includes safety measures ensures that interior equipment and surfaces are safe for all ages, and easily adapts to the needs of the residents. A home that incorporates integrated design methods often doesn’t have visual cues - like those at my grandparents’ — that indicate it is designed for aging in place. Instead, you feel the superior function as you move through and use the spaces with ease.

And let’s not forget beauty. Design affects mood. People want to feel good in their homes and enjoy being surrounded by positive energy.

These feel-good spaces develop when we focus on things like proportion, scale, texture, light — and what makes us happy. This requires a series of thoughtful choices that start with how the home is oriented, continue through planning and don’t end until every material, color, fixture furnishings are chosen.

Incorporating personal preferences into your home design is very important. You are going to live there, not your designer and not your builder. YOU! I find that people value beauty, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, if you enjoy the colors in your home, you are more likely to stay there.

My grandma’s décor was neutral, calm and classic. She used an abundance of durable, high-quality textures that kept the space from feeling flat.

It just quietly worked, the way taking a deep breath works.

Their home brought joy to all who entered, but most importantly to me and my entire family for over 60 years.

Beauty endures
When we help you create a home that is functional, beautiful and reflects your essence, then it follows that you will want to care for it. Home maintenance extends the beauty of the home. Every house, regardless of age requires regular maintenance and care. A thoughtful design built well helps to ensure easy maintenance over time. My grandparents’ home was built solidly, and they prioritized house maintenance in their annual budget. When the deck began to warp, or a faucet leaked or windows needed replacement, it was their priority to follow through with repair. Without a doubt they loved their home.

There really is no place like home! It’s your own space and for many, instills an emotional connection – it is a place that is known intimately.

Visits to my grandparents’ home gave me a permanent appreciation of beauty in design and the intimacy that comes from familiarity. This motivates me to create familiar, intimate spaces for myself and my clients that elicits that comfortable, secure, restful feeling. Breathe deep, you’re home.